“I had always wanted facilities for passengers to be well laid out like this,” Member of Parliament from Visakhapatnam Khambampati Haribabu told Waltair Divisional Railway Manager Chandralekha Mukherjee after officially commissioning the arch for the Gnanapuram entrance to Visakhapatnam Railway Station.
Appreciating the way the vehicles were segregated with auto-rickshaws at one place, cars and other four-wheelers at another and two wheelers at another and the buses being given their own space at the Gnanapuram entrance to the railway station, the MP said this would go a long way in enhancing passenger comfort.
“I prefer this entrance to the other one,” Visakha West MLA P.G.V.R. Naidu said, which was echoed by Visakha North MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju and Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao. Visakha South MLA Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar appreciated the initiative of the railway officials to improve passenger amenities.
The new layout provides space for parking of 100 four-wheelers, 200 two-wheelers apart from a dedicated carriageway for the auto-rickshaws. There is a premium car parking opposite the new entrance to Platform 8. The railways propose to create a designated drop area near the premium car parking.
The Gnanapuram entrance would have three entrances with pylons, two at Gnanapuram side and one towards the Convent Junction. Landscaping has been done at five places apart from properly laid out footpaths for walkers.
Saplings planted
The MP and the MLAs planted saplings on the dividers in the car parking lot on the occasion. Wednesday was celebrated as Sanchar Divas as part of the ongoing Hamsafar Saptah of the Indian Railways. Senior officials of the East Coast Railway, including Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Yelvender Yadav, and others were present.
A proper bus shelter for the passengers waiting to travel by buses would be a welcome addition, member of Division Rail Users’ Consultative Committee Buddha Lakshminarayana said.
